Super Bowl Advertisers Fumble Big Chance for Online Promotion

Despite investing millions in prime-time ad space during Super Bowl XLIX, most of the brands that showcased products during the event failed to also promote them online.

Campaign analysis on 56 Super Bowl TV commercials which were beamed to over 114 million US sports fans finds that just 45% were linked to a company homepage displaying the same product being advertised.

The online-offline integration suffered an even bigger hit on mobile homepages, where just 38% of brands had details about an item being pushed on Super Bowl Sunday, February 1.

This led Andreas Schroeter, co-founder of report author wywy, to criticise brands over their failure to capitalise on such a gaping opportunity for cross-device promotion.

Missing the pass

Among the products that were advertised during the New England Patriots’ 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks included Bud Light, the Lexus NX and nacho cheese Doritos.

Where their parent brands fell foul was in ensuring these products appeared on a homepage in light of their big-screen appearance.

Wywy also discovered that 18% of advertisers did not place a Super Bowl ad-related message on their websites, and that when it came to opportunities to obtain custom via search, only 60% were in top positions for keywords related to their brand or product.

With so many viewers taking to the likes of Google and Bing to learn more about products being advertised, Schroeter questioned why brands had not prepared for the aftermath of their TV spots.

“The Super Bowl is a one-of-a-kind TV advertising opportunity for brands and the receptivity is highly positive,” he commented. “But sales are being sent to the sidelines when the campaign isn’t carried through across screens.

“Consumers now expect brands to tell the same message regardless of the screen and way they interact.”

Continue the conversation

Richard Towey

Richard is a former head of content at PerformanceIN. After many years spent covering developments from the automotive, sports, travel and finance sectors, he eventually turned his full attention to reporting on stories from the fast-evolving world of digital marketing.